1. Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with dust removing machines, especially machines for removing dust from sheet materials, for example, leather.
2. Prior Art
At some stages in the manufacture of leather, a hide is subjected to operations which generate a considerable quantity of leather dust, much of which remains on the hide. The presence of dust on the leather is undesirable in subsequent leather manufacturing operations.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for removing dust from sheet material.
Prior art, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,515,223; 2,482,781; and 2,482,775, have proposed to remove dust from sheet material, namely hides, by a method in which the hide is moved on a travelling conveyor past a nozzle device and a suction device on the same side of the conveyor as the nozzle. The nozzle device directs a stream of air at low pressure on to the hide. The nozzle device is long enough to extend completely across the hide, and the suction device is arranged to draw away dust-laiden air from the moving hide in the vicinity of the nozzle device.
It has now been found that dust removal is more effective, if the jets are inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to work preceding the nozzle device, that is the work from which dust has not yet been removed by operation of the jet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine by which dust can be removed from flimsy sheet materials.